


Adventure Awaits

by WarlockBusiness



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, I don't know how to do that, I hope, I said this was modern monarchy but I changed my mind, In technicality Magnus is a king but like I'm gonna say he is a prince, M/M, Malec will be dancing and it's going to be cute af, Maryse and Robert are assholes, Political Marriage, Prince!Alec, Royalty AU, Slow Burn, The Lightwood parents know Alec is gay but they choose to not acknowledge it, This kind of a modern medieval type thing I guess?, as usual, prince!magnus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 16:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10517247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarlockBusiness/pseuds/WarlockBusiness
Summary: “As we stand down from the crown we want to assure you that the future will be better off in the hands of our eldest child. He will come forth and the prosperity of our land will return evermore, but I can assure you that our legacy does not and will not stop here.”Maryse turns swiftly on her heel. A scowl permanently etched onto her face. Her eyes are blank and briefly meet Alec’s. She lowers her head and proceeds to take her final seat on her throne as Robert gives his farewell. The world feels heavy on Alec’s shoulders.





	

The young prince stands on the front steps of the castle, looking as regal and poise as ever. The monarchy has fallen and even in these times of devastation and poverty for his family’s land he is still expected to upkeep his debonair stature. He is expected to uphold the Lightwood name by righting the wrong that his parents have put on the land. It is expected of him to be betrothed to the princess of the nearest land with the most riches and the most resources to help build his struggling kingdom back up.

The Prince coughs and stands straighter, locking his hands together behind his back looking anxiously to the citizens before him. His sister Isabelle stands to his left, face devoid of any emotion. His stance tall and strong yet graceful and pristine. His two brothers are on his right side. Jace with his stoic but charming features and his jaw clenched his hands by his sides looking nowhere but forward. The youngest Lightwood stands the farthest away from him. The tiny blonde boy stands with his head held high, a small grin plastered on his face. He’s the only one that doesn’t know the seriousness of the problems at hand. Finally are the ever so proud King and Queen. Standing rigid like ice in front of the Lightwood siblings, speaking nonsense of the return of peace and fertility to the land.

“As we stand down from the crown we want to assure you that the future will be better off in the hands of our eldest child. He will come forth and the prosperity of our land will return evermore, but I can assure you that our legacy does not and will not stop here.”

Maryse turns swiftly on her heel. A scowl permanently etched onto her face. Her eyes are blank and briefly meet Alec’s. She lowers her head and proceeds to take her final seat on her throne as Robert gives his farewell. The world feels heavy on Alec’s shoulders. The expectation sends anxiety and through every crevice of his body. He feels Isabelle stare, like a magnifying glass in the sun on a poor unsuspecting ant. It’s burning and he feels the panic claw up through his throat. The towns people are dismissed gradually filing out of the cramped space and back to continuing their lackluster lives.

The Lightwood family march inside. Thoughts quickly filling Alec’s head. Thoughts of the impending failure he felt he was destined to bring upon his land. The castle doors open, quickening his pace towards the spiral stairs. His breathing quick and his posture slowly slouching. His hands are sweaty as he wrings them and wipes them on his trousers. He hears far away murmurs of his sister and mother bantering. They slowly fade until only his heartbeat and the sound of his blood pumping fills his ears. He slams his door open and locks it closed determined to stay in the safety of his room for if he can.

“Isabelle you will never understand what it takes to rule. Alec does. He knows that his duty to his family will always come first.”

Isabelle stares at her mother in disbelief. Rage builds up inside her unable to contain it she huffs out a laugh and faces Maryse with a stern warning in her eyes.

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” She turns hastily. Her long black locks moving with her body as she speeds to her room, unable to be in the same vicinity as her mother.

Alec is awake until the early hours of the morning pacing his room trying to calm himself. How can one be calm in this situation? When many peoples lives depend on you and how successful you will be in the future it’s hard not to just give up. His mind wanders to the political alliance and marriage he will be thrown into. He longs to be with someone but out of love not politics. Even if his parents did find him a girl he would get along with he would never be able to love her like his parents would want him to. The attraction he was supposed to feel for women would only be platonic. Instead of craving the delicate touch of a woman he longs for calloused hands in his and strong arms. He didn’t want what his parents were expecting. He wanted adventure and a sappy romance that would most likely end in disaster but at least he would have the opportunity to experience it. But these were just juvenile dreams of a man deprived of his childhood and the experiences that came with it. He was trained the very day he was able to hold a sword. He was schooled with his siblings in the castle walls. Holed up in the tall walls like rats and treated like soldiers by their parents.

Alec became accustomed to taking care of his siblings while they were busy visiting other kingdoms and too busy with planning in the castle. His lifestyle forced him to grow up when he should have been figuring himself out, years of repression and confusion thinking that one day he would be able to be himself with his family. His hopes were crushed after being told of the wedding arrangements for him and what was to be his destiny.

As the hours of the day go by painfully slow Alec slowly emerges from his room. The moon luminous through the stained glass windows of the corridor projecting different hues of reds, blues, greens, and purples down the hallway. The soft tones did nothing to calm Alec’s still rapidly beating heart. His anxiety mixed with the anger towards his parents and the situation at hand. Already knowing that the King and Queen were seeking the best candidate for his betrothal. Just the thought has anger coursing through his veins. The blood warming up in his face as his pace quickens, swiftly moving from hallway to hallway. He needs to talk and release all the tension building up in his body. Being raised in the closed environment of the castle, the Lightwoods never talked to anyone but the family and the staff. It was only until Izzy was fifteen when she started sneaking out did she realize the whole other lifestyle their was. From then on she was determined to one day be able to use her status and make a change in the systems.

Izzy’s room was quickly approaching. Alec paused in front of the door collecting his composure and trying to calm the enraged thoughts flowing through his mind. He raised a fist and knocked gently waiting with a slight impatience and an anxious tap of his foot. Izzy opens the door with a frown looking Alec up and down. She opens the door further for him and he advances quickly sitting on the edge of her bed.

“What brings you to my humble abode at this fine hour big brother?”

Alec rolls his eyes and clears his throat turning to look at his sister. He could see in her eyes the worry hidden behind the smile on her face. He coughs and stands abruptly, pacing back and forth hand rubbing his face as he pinches his eyes closed and immediately opens them. He stops and opens his mouth to say something only to close it again.

Izzy stands and slowly walks towards him putting her hand on his shoulder forcing him to stop and look at her.

“Alec what’s on your mind?”

The simple question unlocks another wave of anger and despair in his mind. He groans loudly and begins to speak, the sound rapidly growing.

“Is all this pressure really worth it? Even if I do become king mom and dad will continue telling me what to do. They won’t listen to me now what would change that. They are swearing me off to some unknown woman miles and miles away when I haven’t even lived my life the way I have wanted to once. Tell me what to do Iz.”

She stills looking slightly to the side. Thinking of ways to find a solution.

“Maybe it will change when you actually take the throne. I know they don’t agree with your views on the downworlders but maybe it will change once they see how amazing of a leader you are.”

Her eyes brighten at the idea of Alec changing the unfair views on the ones seen as ‘unpure’. For generations the Lightwood family viewed downworlders as lesser beings due to the mere differences in appearance and blood, and it wasn’t only the Lightwoods many of the royal families from different kingdoms for years have had the same ignorant views. It got so bad to the point of no return when they were all exiled to the abandoned parts of the world. To the forests, deserts, and mountains where they were to fend for themselves and make their own way. Over the last hundred years the blatant discrimination has lessened, royal families making alliances with the neighboring downworld king or queen and their subjects.

“Now about the marriage all I can say is that you demand what you want. Walk into the throne room and voice your desires.”

She smirks the underlying tone of mischief laced in her voice. Alec rolls his eyes at his sister. Her innuendos no longer making him uncomfortable after enduring them for so long. Izzy always had a talent for reading people so it was no surprise when she confronted Alec one day when he was younger and inquired about where his feelings stood on a certain topic. Alec was more than happy that she asked him knowing that he would never have the courage to tell her. As the years went by and he became more comfortable with the idea, or well as comfortable as you can be in his situation, he told Jace who of course didn’t care as it wasn’t that big of a deal.

His parents on the other hand had no clue. Their minds never straying from idea of having the perfect heir to the throne. They never once considered that their kids were different from them. They wanted perfect clones and soldiers. They were just going to have to face the fact that while the world is changing so are the people.

Nodding his head Alec exits the room with a determined strut. Navigating his way through the corridors of the castle he bolts down the stairs and crosses the foyer to the throne room. The guards standing straight open the doors for him noticing the urgency in his actions. Robert and Maryse were sitting on there respective thrones crowns perfectly balanced on their heads. Robert with his perfectly ironed suit and arrogant attitude and Maryse with her perfectly placed curls and a tight lipped grimace. He thunders down the isle his body acquiring an air of confidence and determination.

“I demand to go on a trip.”

Maryse looks to Robert with dissatisfaction. She turns back with a sneer.

“If that is what you wish we will prepare a group of gua-“

“No-“ Maryse eyes go wide the interruption shocking her and Robert.

“-I demand that before I am to meet my betrothed that I am given the chance to travel to the kingdoms I choose. No matter how near or far. Make acquaintances with whom I desire to. On my own. No guards, no envoys from respecting kingdoms. I want to be able to live my life once before it is taken away for good by this sham of a marriage. If I am to be miserable for the rest of my life, so be it, but I want to be able to have experienced happiness for the first and last time.”

Alec is out of breath as he stares down his parents. The king and queen turn to each other speaking with facial expressions. Robert stands from his throne looking Alec down with a strict visage.

“You can’t just come in making demands and your own terms without their being contribution from both sides.”

Alec nods and motions for him to continue. Maryse rises and stands next to her husband. Closing her eyes and breathing in deep.

“You get two months to accomplish what delusions you hold in your mind and you are to have one person accompany you on this journey.”

Alec nods. The terms are fair and-

“Great now that it’s settled we will have our best gua-“

Aggravation runs through his veins. He didn’t have time for this.

“Not even a minute and you are already violating my terms. No guards are to join me. If I really must have someone escort me I choose Izzy. She understands me and my reasons for this.”

Alec realizes this is the moment his family stubbornness comes in handy. He has never wanted anything in his life more than this.

The Lightwood parents sigh in unison annoyance clear on their features. They nod but slink closer to Alec. His composure never once cracking. He will get this.

“What is your reasoning for this Alec?”

He freezes. Is it not obvious his reasoning?

“I’m doing this because you have had control of my whole life. The only time I left the walls of this castle were for press conferences and other unimportant events-“ his composure finally cracks. His eyes carrying every single emotion he’s feeling. “-Please. Mom. Dad. Just let me have this one thing. I am begging.”

For a brief second Alec thinks he sees sorrow flash across his mothers face. She sighs. It seems like that’s all this family does now a days. She rest her hand on Alec’s face. Smiling sadly at him.

“You can have your adventure. Just remember you have a duty to this kingdom and it’s people.”

Alec nods and turns to leave. He gets to the door and turns to his parents.

“I will leave in three days time with my sister-“ he hesitates “-thank you.”

He turns back taking a running start to the stairs and back to Izzy’s room. Ready for the long journey ahead that’s just waiting for him.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first piece of work so it probably isn't the best but I'm learning. Feel free to leave a comment and if you are going to criticize please be constructive and not rude. You can follow me on twitter @WarlockBusiness for updates and just me being me.


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